Dear Men: Here's Why You Have A Harder Time Finding Deals At The Store

Brands use colors as a marketing tool all the time, hoping to
lure people through store doors and to the checkout aisle.

But who is more likely to be swayed by flashy hues — men or
women?

A study published in the
Journal of Retailing reports found that when men see prices
marked in red, they assume they're about to get a bargain, even
if the prices are no different from others.

Researchers pooled men and women and gave them consumer catalogs
to look through. One group had a version with red prices, the
other with black prices.

Red prices were more likely dupe men into thinking they were
saving money, while women were more likely read the print. Men
also had a more emotional response. They were happier and more
satisfied than the people who viewed items with black prices.

There's one silver lining here. A follow-up study found men
weren't as color blind when it came to bargain shopping for
something they really wanted. The more engaged they were in the
item they intended to purchase, the more closely they read the
fine print.

The moral of the story: You probably don't want
an impulsive guy doing your grocery shopping for you. But if
there's a specific purchase you're about to make and you know a
guy who is interested in it, chances are you might benefit from
having an extra set of eyes searching for a good deal.